Improvement in the manufacture of illuminating-gas



PATENT QFFIGE.

THEODORE G. SPRINGER, OF FAYETTE CITY, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATING-GS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 134,108, dated December 17, 1872.

in the manufacture of illuminatiug-gas,77 a

part of which improvement consisted in feeding hydrocarbon liquids into a vvacuum or partial vacuum formed in a retort heated to a suicient degree to decompose the liquid and form a fixed gas, and withdrawing said fixed gas from the retort by means of a vacuum or partial vacuum created and maintained in the retort..

My present invention is intended as an improvement upon this part of my patent above referred to, and it consists in feeding steam or water into the same retort to which the hydrocarbon liquid is fed, thereby decomposing the water or steam, as well as the hydrocarbon liquid, and forming at once a superior illuminating-gas composed of carbonio oxide and carbureted hydrogen. My invention also consists in a retort having two longitudinal interior pipes, one for steam or water and the other-for the hydrocarbon liquid, the said steam or water and hydrocarbon liquid, passing through their respective pipes from or nearly from the front end of the retort, and escape into the retort at the rear end, where the retort is the htttest, at once decomposing and mixing.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which'` my invention appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, in which- Figure l is a front view, and Fig. 2 a horizontal section showing the retort with its pipes.

A represents a retort, of any suitable construction, arranged in a suitable furnace, so as to be heated to the required degree. Inside of this retort is a pipe, B, for the steam and water to pass through, and another,-G,

- for the hydrocarbon liquid. These two pipes run lengthwise of the retort, opening into the same at the rear end, and they are, at or near their front ends, provided with supply, or feed pipes B C', respectively, through `which the steam or water and hydrocarbon liquid are fed into the interior pipes B and C.

A vacuum or partial vacuum is created and maintained in the retort A, substantially in the same manner and for the same purposes as described in my patent of December 5, 1871. As the hydrocarbon liquid enters the rear ,end of the retort from the pipe C, if not already decomposed, it becomes instantaneously decomposed; and the steam or water from the pipe B entering the retort at the same-time and place, this also becomes instantaneously decomposed, because the oxygen contained in the same has a stronger afiinity for the vaporized carbon than for the hydrogen with which it is mixed. Hence the oxygen separates from the hydrogen, and unites with a certain proportion of the carbon, forming carbonio-oxide gas, While the remaining carbon unites with the hydrogen, forming carbureted-hydrogen gas, these two gases mixed together making the most beautiful illuminating-gas.

D represents the pipe through which the gas is drawn off in the same proportion as it is generated, so as to maintainat all times the vacuum or partial vacuum in the retort.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureV by Letters Patent, is-

1. Feeding hydrocarbon liquids through one pipe, and steam or water through another pipe, into a vacuum or partial vacuum formed in a retort heated to a sufficient degree to decompose the liquid, substantially for the purposes herein set forth.

2. rI he arrangement, with the retort A, of the pipes B and G with supply or feed pipes B C', substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

3. Decomposing hydrocarbon liquids or vapors, and steam or water at the same time, in a vacuum or partial vacuum formed in a retort, substantially for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 10th day of August, 1872.

f T. G. SPRINGER.

Witnesses:

' EDM. F. BROWN,

C. L. EvER'r. 

